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Changing your Computer's BIOS to Load from an Optical (CD/DVD) Drive

This section describes how you can change your computer's settings so that the computer starts directly from an optical drive. The menu of options and settings that is used to do this is often called the "BIOS Setup".

Please be careful when changing the BIOS settings. If you change your computer's startup-sequence incorrectly so that it does not check your hard disk, then you will not be able to start your computer normally until you have returned the settings to something sensible.

Why is changing the BIOS Setup Useful?

The easiest way to load the MDP Resource CD is to start your computer using a floppy disk (if your computer has a floppy disk drive). Most computers are already set up to automatically start from a floppy disk if one is inserted, so no change to the BIOS setup is usually necessary.

On nearly all computers, it is also possible to start directly from the CD without using a floppy disk at all. As well as being more convenient, this will load more quickly since it is faster to load programs from a CD-ROM than from a floppy disk. However, you may need to change some settings on your computer's BIOS Setup to ensure that the CD-ROM drive is checked before starting from a hard disk.

General Instructions

How the BIOS Setup is changed varies considerably from computer to computer, but the procedure for some models of PC is described below. Over time, more instructions will be added for other makes of computer.

In general, you can often enter the BIOS Setup by pressing one of the function keys or Delete or Esc just after the computer has turned on or been reset. This will present you with a series of menus, which can be navigated by using the arrow keys. You now need to find out where the startup-sequence is specified. This is often referred to as the "Boot Sequence" or the "Boot Options". You will want to change the setup so that the CD-ROM is "booted" before the Hard Disk - often this involves re-ordering the options. An example order is given below:

• 1st Device: CD-ROM
• 2nd Device: Floppy Disk
• 3rd Device: Hard Disk

You should only need to change the BIOS setup once, and then the change will be saved permanently. This will allow you to start your computer from a CD if one is inserted, or else start your computer normally using the hard disk if no CD is inserted.

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Instructions for Specific Computers

This list will hopefully become more comprehensive with time. If you have any corrections, or would like to submit instructions for a different PC, then please email mdp-support@eng.cam.ac.uk .

The following procedures typically set the boot sequence to be CD-ROM, followed by Floppy Disk, followed by Hard Disk. You may wish to change this slightly if, for example, you don't have a floppy disk drive or you have a USB drive connected.

Manufacturer	Model	Instructions	Image
Dell	Optiplex GX270 (BIOS revision A03)	When the computer starts, press F2 to enter the BIOS setup Use the up/down arrow keys to highlight Boot Sequence and then press Enter Use +/- to re-order the options so that IDE CD-ROM DEVICE is above Hard-disk Drive C: Make sure that the CD-ROM is enabled (indicated by a tick next to "IDE CD-ROM Device"). You can use the space bar to enable and disable a device Press Enter to accept the new order Press Esc to exit the BIOS setup Highlight Save Changes and Exit and press Enter
	Optiplex GX270 (BIOS revision A03)	Or alternatively, to change the Boot Sequence but not change it permanently: When the computer starts, press F12 to change the Boot Device Use the arrow keys (or the appropriate number) to highlight IDE CD-ROM Device and then press Enter
Intel	??? unknown ???	When the computer starts, press F2 to enter the BIOS setup Use the left/right arrow keys to highlight the Boot option along the top of the screen Use the up/down arrow keys to highlight 1st Boot Device and press Enter Highlight ATAPI CDROM and press Enter Use the up/down arrow keys to highlight 2nd Boot Device and press Enter Highlight Floppy(if you have a floppy disk drive) and press Enter Use the up/down arrow keys to highlight 3rd Boot Device and press Enter Highlight IDE-HDD and press Enter Press F10 to Save the changes and Exit. Highlight Yes and press Enter
Shuttle	Shuttlebox Phoenix AwardBIOS	When the computer starts, press Del to enter the BIOS setup Use the up/down arrow keys to highlight Advance BIOS Features and press Enter Use the up/down arrow keys to highlight the First Boot Device field and press Enter Use the up/down arrow keys to move the square so that it is next to CDROM and press Enter Use the up/down arrow keys to highlight the Second Boot Device field and press Enter Move the square to Floppy(if you have a floppy disk drive) and press Enter Use the up/down arrow keys to highlight the Third Boot Device field and press Enter Move the square to Hard Disk and press Enter Press F10 to Save the changes and Exit. Press Y and Enter to confirm